These old space craft are ready for the wreckers, I wish they would stop endangering lives. I know Uncle Sam is broke so give up the space program for a while and get the country into a proper state of order for the American citizens.
(NASA) has delayed the launch of space shuttle Discovery to finish repairs and fix its cracked fuel tank.
What is the ISS for anyway, the elite when tshtf?
Discovery's 11-day mission to the International Station has been postponed until December 3, 2010. The previous plan was set for November 30.
The liftoff was delayed after a potentially dangerous hydrogen leak was detected while the spaceship was being fueled on November 5, Reuters reported.
Technicians also found a large crack in the foam insulation covering the tank, which is a debris hazard for launch.
The same problem killed seven astronauts when the foam falling from the shuttle Columbia's fuel tank and striking the ship during launch triggered an accident in 2003.
Discovery's 50-cm crack, however, led NASA experts to four others in an underlying support structure.
Repairs are underway but NASA managers have decided to postpone the liftoff so that they can find the cause of the tank cracks and make sure about Discovery's safety.
Engineers are also preparing fuel tanks for a final shuttle flight in February.
Discovery will retire after two or three more flights to complete the 100-billion-dollar, 16-nation space station.
If the shuttle misses the December launch, it will have to wait until February 2011 for another resupply and maintenance mission to the ISS.
Discovery will deliver Leonardo, the pressurized logistics storage module to the Station, along with a human-like robot called Robonaut 2. Two spacewalks will also be conducted for regular maintenance and installation.
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